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Australia

Clarence Hurtle McGUINNESS was born in Langhorne Creek, South Australia on 1st December, 1892

His parents were Thomas James McGUINNESS and Susan CHILTON

He married Miriam Violet MITCHELL in South Australia in 1916

Brother: 5619 Pte Horace Victor McGUINNESS, 27th Bn, killed in action, 1 March 1917.

Brother:4330 Laurence Anderson McGUINNESS, 32nd Bn,returned to Australia 10 January 1918

Clarence Hurtle McGuinness

Private, 32nd Battalion, Australian Imperial Force

Service No. 4568

 

Early Life

Clarence Hurtle McGuinness was born on 1 December 1892 at Langhorne Creek, South Australia, the son of Thomas James McGuinness and Susan McGuinness. He grew up in the Lower Murray and Alexandrina districts and was educated at Langhorne Creek Public School.

 

As a young man, Clarence worked as a fisherman, a physically demanding occupation that reflected the river and coastal life of the region. Prior to enlistment, he resided in the Finniss / Tooperang district of South Australia and was a member of the Church of Christ.

 

Clarence married Miriam Violet McGuinness (née Mitchell), and by the time of his enlistment she was recorded as his next of kin, later residing at Summer Street, Goolwa. Their marriage was short, but deeply documented in the extensive correspondence that followed his death.

 

Enlistment and Training

Clarence enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 2 October 1916 at Adelaide, at the age of 23.

 

His medical examination records describe him as:

Height: 5 feet 7 inches
Weight: 147 lbs
Chest: 34–38½ inches (4½ inches expansion)
General health: Good
Vision: Right eye 6/12, left eye 6/6

 

He was assessed as physically fit, with no history of epilepsy, insanity, tuberculosis, or rheumatism, and was classified fit for active service following his final medical examination in December 1916. Dental records rated him Class “A”.

 

After initial training, Clarence was allotted to the 32nd Battalion, AIF, joining the 12th Reinforcement.

 

Embarkation and Overseas Service

On 16 December 1916, Clarence embarked from Adelaide aboard HMAT A35 Berrima, bound for overseas service.

 

Following training and unit integration in England, he was deployed to the Western Front, serving with the 32nd Battalion in France and Belgium during one of the most brutal phases of the war.

 

The battalion was heavily engaged in trench warfare in Flanders throughout 1917, operating in areas subjected to constant artillery fire, mud, and attrition. Clarence’s service record shows no disciplinary entries and no recorded wounds prior to his death.

 

Death in Action

Private Clarence Hurtle McGuinness was killed in action on 28 September 1917, aged 24, during fighting in the Polygon Wood / Zonnebeke sector of Belgium, part of the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele).

 

Official records initially reported his burial in an isolated battlefield grave, approximately:

1½ miles south-south-west of Zonnebeke
About 3½ miles east of Ypres

 

These early reports were later confirmed and expanded upon by the Graves Registration Units.

 

Burial and Re-interment

After the war, Clarence’s remains were exhumed with care and reverence by official Graves Registration Units, in the presence of a chaplain, as part of the Imperial War Graves Commission program.

 

He was re-interred at Hooge Crater Cemetery, Zillebeke, West Flanders, Belgium, where he now rests in:

Plot XI, Row J, Grave 3

 

Multiple official letters confirm that photographs of his grave were taken and forwarded to his widow in Australia.

 

Personal Effects and Family Correspondence

Clarence’s service file contains extensive correspondence between military authorities and his widow, Miriam Violet McGuinness, providing rare insight into the personal aftermath of his death.

 

His recovered personal effects, forwarded via the transport Gilgai, included:

Two watches (both damaged)
Metal watch chain
Photographs
Letters and cards
Coin
Cloth wallet

 

Receipts for these items were personally signed by Mrs McGuinness, and address changes were carefully noted as she later moved to Strathalbyn. The correspondence reflects the careful and respectful handling of Clarence’s effects and burial details over several years.

 

Medals and Commemoration

Clarence was posthumously awarded:

British War Medal
Victory Medal
These were issued to his widow, along with the Memorial Scroll and Memorial Plaque, officially acknowledging his sacrifice.

 

His name is commemorated on:

Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour
South Australian National War Memorial
Meadows War Memorial
Local rolls of honour in the Alexandrina district

 

Family Military Sacrifice

Clarence’s death was not the only loss borne by his family during the war.

His brother, Private Horace Victor McGuinness (5619, 27th Battalion), was killed in action on 1 March 1917, just months earlier.

 

Another brother, Private Laurence Anderson McGuinness (4330, 32nd Battalion), served alongside Clarence’s battalion and returned to Australia in January 1918.

The McGuinness family thus endured multiple wartime casualties, a stark example of the profound impact of the First World War on Australian families.

 

Legacy

Private Clarence Hurtle McGuinness served his country with quiet dedication and was killed during one of the most harrowing campaigns of the war. Though his life was short, the survival of his full service record — medical, personal, and administrative — preserves a detailed account of both his service and the deep personal cost of his loss.

He lies today among his comrades in Belgium, remembered not only on stone and bronze, but through the careful preservation of his story.

 

Sources & Evidence

Clarence Hurtle McGuinness (1892–1917)

Private, Service No. 4568, 32nd Battalion, Australian Imperial Force

This biography is supported by the following primary and authoritative records, with emphasis on original service documents and contemporaneous correspondence.

 

1. National Archives of Australia

Service Record – World War I

Series: B2455
Item: MCGUINNESS, Clarence Hurtle
Repository: National Archives of Australia
Content Includes:
Attestation and enlistment papers
Full medical history (Parts I & II)
Dental, vaccination, and inoculation records
Unit postings and service table
Casualty notifications
Graves Registration Unit reports
Correspondence with next of kin
Personal effects inventories and receipts
Medal issue records (British War Medal, Victory Medal)
Memorial Scroll and Memorial Plaque issue documentation

 

Note: This file provides the definitive record of enlistment, service, death, burial, and post-war administration.

 

2. Australian War Memorial (AWM)

Roll of Honour: Clarence Hurtle McGuinness
Service Number: 4568
Unit: 32nd Battalion, AIF
Details Confirmed:
Shows death in action on 28 September 1917
Confirms Western Front service
Links to unit history and broader operational context

 

3. Graves Registration & Burial Records

Initial Burial: Isolated battlefield grave near Zonnebeke, Belgium
Re-interment:
Cemetery: Hooge Crater Cemetery
Location: Zillebeke, West Flanders, Belgium
Grave: Plot XI, Row J, Grave 3
Evidence Sources:

Graves Registration Unit (Exhumation) reports
Base Records Office correspondence (1919–1920)
Cemetery extract sheets included in NAA B2455 file

 

4. Official Military Correspondence (Base Records Office)

Department: Australian Imperial Force – Base Records
Dates: 1917–1923
Recipients: Mrs Miriam Violet McGuinness (widow)
Subjects Covered:
Notification of death in action
Burial location and later re-interment
Assurance of care in exhumation and reburial
Transmission of grave photographs
Dispatch and receipt of personal effects
Issue of medals and memorial items
These letters provide human context and confirm official processes following Clarence’s death.

 

5. Personal Effects Records

Itemised Inventory:
Two damaged watches
Metal watch chain
Photographs
Letters and cards
Coin
Cloth wallet
Transport Vessel: Gilgai
Receipt Signed By: Mrs M. V. McGuinness
Dates: August 1918
Source:

Effects inventory sheets
Receipt for consignment (signed)
Base Records dispatch letters

 

6. Medal & Commemoration Records

Medals Issued:
British War Medal
Victory Medal
Commemorative Items:
Memorial Scroll
Memorial Plaque
Issued To: Widow, Mrs Miriam Violet McGuinness
Evidence:
Medal issue stamps on service file
Memorial Plaque / Scroll receipt documentation

 

7. Civil & Family Context (Corroborative)

Birthplace: Langhorne Creek, South Australia
Occupation: Fisherman
Residence: Finniss / Tooperang district, SA
Marital Status: Married
Next of Kin: Wife – Miriam Violet McGuinness
Sources:

Attestation papers
Medical History (Part I)
Next-of-kin listings throughout service record

 

Evidence Assessment

Primary Sources: Extensive (NAA B2455 service file)
Consistency: High — dates, locations, and unit details align across all records
Reliability: Official military and government documentation
Research Status: Fully documented; no material conflicts identified

 

Biography by Trevor Pyatt - 8-02-2026